5 Further Misconceptions About Writing

By georgelthomas on 18 Jan 2022 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well and that you’re all fighting through your procrastination to get some writing done.

Today I’m sharing another quick list of misconceptions that the world – or rather, the internet – seems to be so full of these days about writing.

Some people think that it’s easy to write, while others are of the opinion that you can’t learn good writing, and others still, think that just because you write, you must want fame and fortune (the fortune part might be nice, mind you).

So, to clear things up a little, here are:

5 Further Misconceptions About Writing

1 A Writer Needs To Use ‘Big Words’
It is a huge misconception that writing requires you to use long and complicated words. In fact, it’s more often true that the simpler the words and the sentences you use, the better. You want to be understood, after all.

2 Writers Aren’t Social Creatures
It’s sometimes said that writers can be antisocial and sure, there will certainly be some who prefer to spend large amounts of their time locked up in their offices on their own, or huddled around their writing desk (like this writer), but just as many love to be out and about, mixing with people. In fact, it’s how some writers find inspiration. Watching other people, or hearing (purely by accident, of course) what they say and how they speak when engaged in deep conversation, can help a writer greatly. You could overhear something interesting that inspires a story, a poem – or you might even meet a person (or animal for that matter) who inspires a character. It can also help you write realistic dialogue by using similar speech patterns for your characters.

3 You Don’t Need To Read In Order To Write
I’ve heard it said many times that a writer doesn’t need to read in order to write, and while that’s technically true, it’s not very conducive to productivity. Reading helps you to learn. Say, for example, that you like to write horror or romance novels, how in the world can you write one successfully if you don’t know what the finished product should look like? You can learn many things from reading, from how to set a scene to how to use pacing, and it can even help to grow your vocabulary.

4 You Don’t Have To Research Anything If It’s Fiction
Many people think that just because you’re creating a world or a character from scratch, you don’t need to do any research at all. But if you want to write well, then you’ll probably have to do some research and fact checking. Even if your story takes place in a tiny locked room, you might need to research how a person would feel in such a situation. Your character might be an antigravity sports player aboard a space station, but you would still want to know how sports team members interact with one another so you can convey it convincingly to your readers. You may need to research things like how a space station might work, or how artificial gravity works. Just because you’re pulling something from your imagination, it doesn’t mean that your reader won’t need to understand it.

5 Writers Are Great With Spelling And Grammar
Another great misconception is that writers are all exceptional grammatists. Again, some are, but not all. Many are talented storytellers who just can’t get to grips with grammar and that’s okay for the most part. While it’s important to try hard to get your work to the best it can be, getting your story finished should be your chief priority. You can always work on the rest afterwards. YouTube is a great resource for teaching yourself some basic grammar or editing skills.

As always, thank you so much for spending a bit of your valuable time with me. I really appreciate it!

Until next time,

George